February 1, 2008

Several weeks ago, my husband brought home a beautiful book, "Things Swedish," by Mari Hemming (Albert Bonniers Forlag, 2001). Wrapped in ribbon and tied with a beautiful bow, my children and I were unable to resist it. We opened the book and began to look at all the fabulous photographs by Dan Tobin Smith. Each page is an insight into the culture and people of Sweden, through it's images and stories. Interspersed throughout the book are the foods of Sweden, such as cinnamon buns, oatmeal biscuits, Kronans kaka (The Crown's Reward), semla and Swedish meatballs.

When we asked my husband where he had gotten the book, he said it had been given to him by Ingegerd, a new member his firm's global team. She had come to New York to meet the team and learn about their practice. She gave each person she met with a copy of "Things Swedish."

After going through it the second time, pages with scrumptious recipes were book marked. Then we passed the book around so that each of us could vote on which recipe they wanted to try making first. There wasn't any contest, as the Swedish meatballs won with four votes...well five if we counted our Sheltie.

As I began browning the meatballs, one by one they all wandered back into the kitchen. Everyone was checking out what was in the skillet, except for our Sheltie. She was occupied with keeping one of my feet pinned to the floor under her body...just letting me know she's there and ready to devote herself to taste testing. I finished the meatballs off in the oven and then served them up for a late dinner.

The meatballs were rich and flavorful. The allspice was a perfect enhancement to the flavor of the bison. We enjoyed the meatballs so much, I'm sure they will become a regular on our family menu. Warm and hearty this meal was perfect for a chilly winter evening.

7 comments:

THOSE LOOK DELICIOUS!!!! Wow Natalie! I can't wait to try that! I don't know where in the world I could find bison or buffalo meat around here, so ground turkey will have to do, but Ohhhh... I've been really missing meatballs! Yum!

I made these meatballs Natalie! I used ground turkey, but they were still VERY good! I actually made a pineapple sweet and sour sauce and kept them in the crockpot during the superbowl! They were delicious! Thank you for sharing!!

The bison worked out beautifully and so did Carrie's turkey version with sweet and sour sauce. So there are a variety of ways to enjoy the meatballs.

Cindy - Thank you for asking about us. My family is doing great, although we're eagerly awaiting Spring. We're not great fans of cold weather, since our family homes are on the Gulf Coast. However, we've learned the joys of Merino wool and flannel lined blue jeans. I hope you and your family are doing well this winter too.